floating, Monotype of the Day #884

Day 152 of year 3

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

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floating, monotype, 12 x 14”
Sybil Archibald

trapped, Monotype of the Day #883

Day 151 of year 3

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

trapped, monotype, 12 x 14”
Sybil Archibald

frustration (2), Monotype of the Day #882

Day 150 of year 3

I've hit a major stumbling block in the studio. I accept where I am and trust my process. I know eventually I will figure it out, but that hasn't dissipated my feelings of frustration which are intense. I have to honor those feelings instead of fighting them so they can pass. I am grateful to have art to help me do that.

frustrated (2), monotype, 12 x 14”
Sybil Archibald

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

frustration, Monotype of the Day #881

Day 149 of year 3

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

looking in, Monotype of the Day #880

Day 148 of year 3

Much of my work explores those places where the veil between the spiritual and physical worlds is thin, where we can begin to glimpse true mystery. In every moment many states of consciousness exist, spiritual, emotional, mental, physical. The physical is easy to see but others require more attention to access.

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

embraced, Monotype of the Day #879

Day 147 of year 3

One of my favorite poets, Dorothy Walters, has a wonderful blog: kundalinisplendor.blogspot.com/. It's filled with beautiful poetry, her own and others. Often if I'm feeling out of sorts, I browse the archives and I am revived. I found the poem below the title there.

Find It in You
By Baba Afzal Kashani, Trans. David and Sabrineh Fideler
(13th Century Sufi)

The Divine Book's imprint
is nothing but you.

The mirror of the King's Beauty
is nothing but you.

Not a thing in this world
is outside of you.

Whatever you're seeking --
you'll find it in you.

Found on: http://kundalinisplendor.blogspot.com/2006/08/

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

reflection, Monotype of the #878

Making art can be like medicine. If an image comes up that is uncomfortable to the artist, it is always important. It means there is an opportunity to heal and grow.

Day 146 of year 3

There are two ways of handling this discomfort.1) Stay with that uncomfortable feeling, breath into it and embrace it. Eventually the energy will shift. Or 2) consciously alter the piece in a way that changes its energy.

I used method 2 last night. Starting with a figure in the center, I placed a red mark on its chest. This brought up fears from past health issues so I added red lines connecting the mark with the angels in the lower corners. This helped me feel connected and supported so my anxiety eased.

A few days ago I wrote about my discomfort with a figure hanging upside down in that day's print. In this case I chose method 1, to embrace the discomfort and sit with it. This ultimately led to an internal transformation that allowed me to interpret that work in a more positive light. (See day #875 for more on this)

These methods are important ways artists can heal their internal landscape. If these tools are consciously embraced they are extremely powerful. Additionally any transformational energies an artist experiences while making a piece become integrated into their work. and are passed on to the viewer adding extra dimension, power, and depth.

Tonight's print is a response to the strong physical reaction I had to last night's work. I started with the same central figure and heart marking but the energy is much different, lighter and more spiritual. This shift shows a great internal change from yesterday to today. This deep work in the studio can be hard. There are many challenges, but when an artist sticks with it the rewards are great.

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

infusion, Monotype of the Day #877

Day 145 of year 3

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

welcome and ghost print, Monotype of the Day #876

Day 144 of year 3

In order to get the effect for last night's print, I had to take the first layer of ink off and then work the underlayer (ghost ink). Tonight's print is on top of the first layer from last night. I've included the ghost print (below) from tonight as well because it's interesting to compare and see how the ink reacts. I reserve the right to use it as an underlayer in the future. We shall see.

Reminder, art makes a unique one of a kind gift for the holidays! Here is a link to my online store and I now offer gift certificates!

https://www.sybilarchibaldart.com/monotypes-for-sale

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

welcome ghost print, monotype, 12 x 14”
Sybil Archibald

dawn, Monotype of the Day #875

Day 143 of year 3

When I made this print this morning, I was out of sorts. I've been struggling with getting my new body of work going. The seeds of this work are inside but my physical limitations are slowing things down. I miss having a studio assistant to allow me to work at a much quicker pace. Even small tasks like cleaning my palette make a difference, more energy and time I can put elsewhere. I made this piece and I was really upset by the reversed hanging figure, it just felt wrong and made me uncomfortable. So during the day I worked on being with this discomfort and discovered I had forgotten a key truth about the studio. In the studio everything is in perfect harmony even though it often doesn't feel that way. Divine order seem chaotic and unreasonable to our minds, but there is purpose behind every delay, every mistake. An artist must have the humility to release their own plan and trust the process they are in. My delay will prove beneficial, giving the seeds of my new work the chance to grow strong and flourish. I forgot to trust. After this realization, I viewed my print again and instead of seeing something wrong in the hanging figure, I see a calm surrender at the edge of a sunrise, the coming dawn of new work.

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

curious, Monotype of the Day #874

Day 142 of year 3

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

gestation, Monotype of the Day #873

Day 141 of year 3

Sonnets to Orpheus, I, IV
By Rilke, Trans Macey & Barrows

You who let yourselves feel: enter the breathing
that is more than your own.
Let it brush your cheeks
as it divides and rejoins beside you.
Blessed ones, whole ones,
you where the heart begins:
You are the bow that shoots the arrows
and you are the target.
Fear not the pain. Let its weight fall back
into the earth;
for heavy are the mountains, heavy the seas.
The trees you planted in childhood have grown
too heavy. You cannot bring them along.
Give yourselves to the air, to what you cannot hold.

From In Praise of Mortality https://amzn.to/33AbL7S

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

vision, Monotype of the Day #872

Day 139 of year 3

Sort of a dreary rainy day today and it came out a bit in tonight's print. The veil between worlds is thin and if we only we look deeply enough we can glimpse another realms. This is the job of the artist, to look intently through the layers of the world, the physical, mental, and emotional, to find in the present moment that place where the veil grows thin, where deep truth resides.

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

the chariot, Monotype of the Day #871

Day 138 of year 3

I liked the ghost print from last night so much, I kept the over layer simple. Ghost prints are magical. They are the perfect partnership between artist and materials. The artist controls the ink more fully on the first pull. On the ghost image, the artist's intent is still there but the ink has space to make its own voice heard. 

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.  

emanation, Monotype of the Day #870

Day 137 of year 3

The image of the fish descending from the sky is kind of obsessing me right now. I feel something when I look at it. I can't articulate what it is and that is good. Much of life happens outside of language and often we are unaware. Art has the rare ability to make us conscious of the unsayable. That is a gift. On this busy shopping weekend, remember all that art gives to the world and consider supporting living artists with your purchases. xo

For the first 24 hours after posting, this piece is 10% off and can be purchased here.

For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.